Wests Tigers 2024 strategic plan: Joint-venture admits to neglecting south-west pathways development

In a strategic plan released to members, Wests Tigers concede the club has neglected one half of the joint-venture’s junior development for too long. Details of ‘Roaring Ahead’.

Wests Tigers.

The Wests Tigers have refused to put a ceiling on success and vowed to take control of south west of Sydney as they outline their plans to bury the past and become a perennial top four club in the NRL.

The Tigers have also promised to take their fans on the journey as they determine their playing future in concert with the NRL, insisting any decision on home grounds will be made with the growth of the club in mind.

The Tigers released their strategic plan - christened ‘Roaring Ahead’ - on Wednesday afternoon, conceding the club is at a critical juncture in its history.

Much of the report is devoted to south-west Sydney and the need to pay more attention to one of the club’s heartlands. Crucially, the club is setting up an office in Campbelltown and will use former players John Skandalis and Shannon Gallant to strengthen their grip on the area.

Their stated goal is to become the No.1 pathway club in Sydney and key to that will be cultivating the south-west, an area that the club acknowledges they have neglected at times in the past.

The Wests Tigers' strategic plan.

“For many years, this club hasn’t truly given the time nor consistent effort for the need to focus in on the south west corridor, to grow our opportunities,” the plan states.

“We intend to, by acting quickly, strategise this plan around the growth of the south west without affecting our inner-city roots.

“This is a critical juncture in the club’s history. We have gone through significant change as an organisation and while we know we need to do better; we need our members, fans, corporate partners, and our entire community more than ever to be part of our journey ahead.”

The plan doesn’t talk about premierships, instead opting to specifically put no ceiling on success.

The Gold Coast Titans and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are among the clubs to have previously released strategic plans with premierships aspirations included.

In both cases, the club fell short and the administration was pilloried. The Tigers stated goal is to become a top four club in the NRL and NRLW.

“Never put a ceiling on what our success can be on or off the field,” the plan stars.

The Tigers also insist they are committed to developing a stadium policy in conjunction with their stakeholders and the NRL.

The club currently plays the majority of their home grounds out of Leichhardt Oval and Campbelltown Stadium but there are concerns over the future of both given Leichhardt Oval is in serious need to investment and the club can make much more money playing out of a modern ground such as CommBank Stadium.

The club’s strategic plan states that the club will be transparent with their development of a stadium policy and constantly review their approach to “ensure growth occurs for the club and its stakeholders”.

It adds that the club wants to establish a working group with the NRL for future stadia policy for the club.

Originally published as Wests Tigers 2024 strategic plan: Joint-venture admits to neglecting south-west pathways development